Lifestyle : Mind + Beauty

Shield The Sun On Your Run: Sunglasses For Every Face Shape

If you’re in the market for a new pair of athletic sunglasses, three things are important.

You want protection. The frame and the lens should be made from a polycarbonate, which can literally take a bullet and not shatter!

You want floatability. Most sunglasses will float in water if you buy a quality frame with polycarbonate lenses.

You want both UV coating and polarized lenses to optimize vision.

Dr. Justin Catando, optometrist and owner of Budd Optical in Medford NJ, highly recommends wearing polarized sunglasses for driving and athletic activities outdoors. Polarized lenses are designed to eliminate glare and increase contrast sensitivity. Dr. Catando explains, “glare reflects off obvious things like ice and water, but people don’t realize even asphalt has a lot of glare. Anytime it’s sunny out, you can be assured there is glare everywhere around you that can be eliminated by wearing polarized lenses.” Unlike traditional sunglasses, polarized sunglasses selectively block out glare instead of dimming the entire field of vision.

If you already own a pair of sunglasses you love, you can bring them to your optometrist and have the lenses polarized for about $70. Dr. Catando reports that approximately 20% of his patients bring in sunglasses they purchased somewhere else and ask them to replace the lenses with their prescription plus polarization.

However, if you are looking for an excuse to buy a new pair of sunglasses here are some highly rated glasses for every face shape.

Oakley Beckon Oval Sunglasses – For fuller faces. These glasses are perfect for people looking for a very large lens. Large lenses are still very much in style and they offer the most amount of eye and face protection from the sun.

Ray-Ban RB2132 New Wayfarer Sunglasses – For square shaped faces. People love their wayfarers! These glasses are by far the most reviewed online. They are both classic and modern! The new wayfarer’s are a little smaller than previous editions, so take note if you have a large or round face.

Ralph by Ralph Lauren Women’s 0RA4004 Aviator Sunglasses – For most face shapes. These aviators are sophisticated and stylish. The round lenses and brow bar make them work on almost all face shapes. These come in a variety of colors. The gold cream color is perfect for transitioning your look from your run to just about anywhere.